AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4 – AFC NORTH – NO. 3 SEED) @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3 – AFC WEST – NO. 1 SEED)
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 2023
TIME: 6:30 PM ET
STADIUM: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
REFEREE: Ron Torbert
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bengals lead all-time series, 17-14
STREAKS Bengals have won past 2
LAST GAME 12/4/22: Chiefs 24 at Bengals 27
LAST GAME AT SITE 10/21/18: Chiefs 45, Bengals 10
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bengals lead all-time series, 1-0
STREAKS Bengals won only meeting
LAST GAME 1/30/22: Bengals 27 at Chiefs 24 (OT)
LAST GAME AT SITE 1/30/22
BENGALS HEAD COACH: ZAC TAYLOR
PLAYOFF RECORD 5-1
VS. OPPONENT 3-0
CINCINNATI BENGALS
PLAYOFF RECORD 10-15
CHAMPIONSHIPS 0
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 27-10 at Buffalo (1/22/23 – AFC-D)
VS. COMMON OPPONENTS 3-0: Buf (1-0), TB (1-0), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 26.1
OFFENSE 378.0
PASSING Joe Burrow: 414-606-4,475-35-12-100.8
RUSHING Joe Mixon: 210-814-3.9-7
RECEIVING Ja’Marr Chase: 87-1,046-12.0-9
PTS. AGAINST 20.1
DEFENSE 335.7
SACKS Trey Hendrickson: 8
INTs Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell: 4
TAKE/GIVE +6 (24/18)
PR Trent Taylor: 10.3
KR Trayveon Williams: 22.3
PUNTING (NET) Drue Chrisman: 47.8 (42.6)
KICKING Evan McPherson: 112 (40/44 PAT; 24/29 FG)
BENGALS TEAM NOTES
• CINCINNATI advanced to AFC Champ. Game in consecutive seasons for 1st time in franchise history & 4th time overall. Aims for 4th SB appearance.
• ZAC TAYLOR can become 1st Cin. HC ever to win 2 AFC Championships & 3rd HC in NFL history to appear in 2 SBs within 1st 4 seasons.
• BENGALS had 3 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games: QB JOE BURROW, WR JA’MARR CHASE & DE TREY HENDRICKSON.
• CINCINNATI ranked 4th in NFL in total offense (378 yards per game).
BENGALS OFFENSIVE NOTES
• QB JOE BURROW has 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs with 100.8 rating in 2022 postseason & aims for his 4th in row overall in playoffs with 0 INTs. Is 3-0 with 9 TDs (8 pass, 1 rush) vs. INT & 121 rating in 3 career starts vs. KC, incl. 2021 AFC-C. Can tie Russell Wilson (6 wins) for most playoff wins by QB in 1st 3 seasons in SB era. Ranked 5th in NFL with 4,475 pass yards & tied-2nd with career-high 35 TD passes in 2022.
• RB JOE MIXON had playoff career-high 123 scrimmage yards (105 rush, 18 rec.) & rush TD last week. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of 6 career playoff games, incl. 115 scrimmage yards (88 rush, 27 rec.) in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC. Had 1,255 scrimmage yards (814 rush, career-high 441 rec.) in 2022, his 4th-career season with 1,250+ scrimmage yards.
• WR JA’MARR CHASE had 5 catches for 61 yards & TD last week & has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 in playoffs. Has 513 career postseason rec. yards, 2nd-most ever by player in 1st 2 seasons. Has 4 rec. TDs in 3 career games vs. KC, incl. playoffs.
• WR TEE HIGGINS had 103 rec. yards in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC.
• WR TYLER BOYD had 5th-straight season with 750+ rec. yards (762).
• TE HAYDEN HURST had TD catch last week & has rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 in playoffs. Had rec. TD in his last game at KC (12/27/20 w/ Atl.).
BENGALS DEFENSIVE NOTES
• DE TREY HENDRICKSON led team with 8 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 6 in NFL with 8+ sacks in each of past 3 seasons. Had 1.5 sacks in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC.
• LB LOGAN WILSON led team with career-high 123 tackles this season. Has 7+ tackles in each of 6 career postseason games.
• DE SAM HUBBARD had 2 sacks & FF in 2021 AFC-C vs. KC & aims for his 3rd in row vs. KC with sack, incl. playoffs.
• LB GERMAINE PRATT set career highs in tackles (99) & PD (10) this season. Has 3 PD in 2022 postseason. Had FF & FR in Week 13 meeting.
• S JESSIE BATES had career-best 4 INTs in 2022. Has 6 PD in 6 career playoff games & has PD in 2 of his past 3 vs. KC, including postseason.
• S VONN BELL had sack last week. Aims for 4th in row vs. KC with PD, incl. playoffs.
CHIEFS HEAD COACH: ANDY REID
PLAYOFF RECORD 20-16
VS. OPPONENT 2-6-
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
PLAYOFF RECORD 18-21
CHAMPIONSHIPS 3: 1960, 1969 (SB IV), 2019 (SB LIV)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 27-20 vs. Jacksonville (1/21/23 – AFC-D)
VS. COMMON OPPONENTS 2-1: Buf (0-1), TB (1-0), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 29.2
OFFENSE 413.6
PASSING Patrick Mahomes: 435-648-5,250-41-12-105.1
RUSHING Isiah Pacheco (R): 170-830-4.9-5
RECEIVING Travis Kelce (TE): 110-1,338-12.2-12
PTS. AGAINST 21.7
DEFENSE 328.2
SACKS Chris Jones: 15.5
INTs Juan Thornhill, L’Jarius Sneed: 3
TAKE/GIVE -3 (20/23)
PR Kadarius Toney: 6.1
KR Isiah Pacheco (R): 20.6
PUNTING (NET) Tommy Townsend: 50.4 (45.6)
KICKING Harrison Butker: 92 (38/41 PAT; 18/24 FG)
CHIEFS TEAM NOTES
• KANSAS CITY became 3rd team ever to appear in 5 consecutive Champ. games. Aims for 3rd SB appearance in 4 years & 5th in franchise history.
• ANDY REID makes 10th Champ. game appearance, tied-2nd most ever by HC, & has 20 career postseason wins, tied 2nd-most ever by HC.
• CHIEFS led NFL in total offense (413.6 yards per game) for 3rdconsectuive season & led in scoring offense (29.2 points per game).
• KANSAS CITY had 7 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games.
CHIEFS OFFENSIVE NOTES
• QB PATRICK MAHOMES has 32 TDs (28 pass, 4 rush) vs. 3 INTs with 116.7 rating in 10 career home playoff starts, with 2+ TD passes in each of past 5. Has 90+ rating in each of 4 career starts vs. Cin., incl. playoffs. Led NFL with 5,250 pass yards & 41 TD passes in 2022, joining Drew Brees as only players ever with 2 career seasons of 5,000+ pass yards & 40+ TD passes. Aims for 6th in row overall with 105+ rating.
• RB JERICK MCKINNON led RBs with 9 rec. TDs in 2022, tied-most by RB in single season in SB era. Finished reg. season with TD catch in 6 straight games, incl. Week 13 vs. Cin., longest streak ever by RB.
• RB ISIAH PACHECO (rookie) rushed for 95 yards in playoff debut last week. Ranked 4th among rookie RBs with 830 rush yards & 2nd with 5 rush TDs, both 3rd-most ever by KC rookie. Had rush TD in Week 13 meeting.
• TE TRAVIS KELCE had 14 catches for 98 yards & 2 TDs last week, his 7th straight playoff game with 95+ rec. yards, longest streak in NFL history. Has 1,389 career postseason rec. yards, tied 3rd-most ever. Aims for 5th in row in playoffs with rec. TD. Had 10 catches for 95 yards & TD in 2021 AFC-C vs. Cin. Led TEs with 110 catches (tied 2nd-most ever by TE in single season) & 1,338 rec. yards (4th-most ever by TE in single season) in 2022.
• WR MARQUES VALDES-SCANTLING had rec. TD last week & aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with TD catch. Had 71 rec. yards in Week 13 meeting.
CHIEFS DEFENSIVE NOTES
• DT CHRIS JONES ranked tied-4th in NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 5 players with 7+ sacks in each of past 5 seasons.
• DE FRANK CLARK had 12th-career postseason sack last week, tied 4thmost since 1982. Had 6th-career season with 5+ sacks (5).
• DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS ranked 3rd among rookies with 6 sacks in 2022. Had sack in Week 13 meeting.
• LB NICK BOLTON led team with 10 tackles & had FR last week. Had 16 tackles in Week 13 meeting. Ranked 2nd in NFL with career-high 180 tackles in 2022, most by KC player in single season since at least 2000.
• CB L’JARIUS SNEED was 1 of 2 players in 2022 with 100+ tackles (108), 3+ sacks (3.5) & 3+ INTs (3). Aims for his 4th in row in playoffs with 9+ tackles.
